Fruit and Nut Bars Recipe Demonstration – Joyofbaking.com

Fruit And Nut Bars Recipe Video

A Symphony of Flavors and Textures:

Stephanie’s recipe is all about customization, allowing you to tailor the bars to your taste preferences. The core ingredients include:

  • Nuts: Choose from a variety of pecans, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or pistachios, or create a medley like Stephanie for a symphony of textures and flavors.
  • Dried Fruits: Cherries, cranberries, raisins, apricots, mangos, figs, and prunes are just a few options. Stephanie recommends using high-quality, unsulfured fruits for the best taste and texture.
  • Chocolate Chips: Mini chocolate chips add a touch of indulgence, but feel free to substitute with more nuts or dried fruits for an utterly guilt-free treat.

Binding it All Together:

The magic ingredient that binds all these delicious elements is a single, large egg. Beating until thick and light incorporates air, creating a soft and chewy texture in the final product.

From Oven to Deliciousness:

Once the mixture is prepared, Stephanie lines an 8-inch square pan with foil for easy removal and presses the mixture down firmly. The bars bake for 35-40 minutes, turning a golden brown and releasing enticing aromas that fill the kitchen.

Cooling, Cutting, and Enjoying:

Letting the bars cool for 10-15 minutes allows for easier handling. Stephanie then flips the pan and peels back the foil, revealing the beautifully textured bars. Cut them into squares, rectangles, or any desired shape, and savour the delightful combination of flavours and textures.

Storing and Savoring:

These bars can be stored at room temperature for up to 10 days or in the refrigerator for a month. They’re perfect for packing in lunches, enjoying as a post-workout snack, or simply indulging in a guilt-free treat.

Beyond the Recipe:

Stephanie’s Fruit and Nut Bars are more than just a recipe; they’re an invitation to explore the world of flavours and textures. Experiment with different nut and dried fruit combinations, add a touch of spices like cinnamon or nutmeg or drizzle the bars with melted chocolate for an extra decadent treat.

Joy of Baking, Joy of Living:

Stephanie’s passion for baking shines through in this video. Her enthusiasm for creating healthy and delicious treats is contagious, inspiring viewers to enter the kitchen and whip up a batch of Fruit and Nut Bars. So, grab your ingredients, preheat your oven, and embark on a joyful baking journey with Stephanie Jaworski.

Deeper Dive into the Deliciousness:

Now that we’ve covered the basics let’s delve deeper into the world of Stephanie’s Fruit and Nut Bars:

  • Nutty Delights: Explore the world of nuts and their unique flavour profiles. Pecans add a buttery richness, walnuts offer a hint of earthiness, almonds provide a subtle sweetness, hazelnuts boast a delicate nuttiness, and pistachios lend a touch of the Mediterranean. Experiment with different combinations to discover your perfect nutty symphony.
  • Dried Fruit Fantasia: From the tart and tangy cranberries to the sun-kissed sweetness of apricots, the world of dried fruits is vast and vibrant. Consider adding bursts of juicy cherries, chewy figs, or tropical notes of mango for a taste adventure in every bite.
  • Superfood Powerhouse: These bars are packed with nutrients, making them a healthy and satisfying snack. Nuts are rich in protein, healthy fats, and fibre, while dried fruits provide vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. You can even add a boost of nutrition by incorporating chia seeds, flaxseeds, or shredded coconut.
  • Endless Variations: Stephanie’s recipe is just a starting point. Feel free to get creative and personalize the bars to your liking. Add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg for warmth and spice, drizzle them with melted dark chocolate for an extra decadent touch, or dip them in yoghurt for a refreshing twist.
  • Baking with Love: The most essential ingredient in any recipe is love. So put on your favourite apron, gather your loved ones, and whip up a batch of Stephanie’s Fruit and Nut Bars. Share the joy of baking, create lasting memories, and savour the deliciousness of homemade treats.

From YouTube Video to Life’s Soundtrack:

Stephanie’s Fruit and Nut Bars are more than just a recipe; they’re a reminder to slow down, savour the simple pleasures, and find joy in the everyday. They’re the perfect accompaniment to a walk in the park, a cosy afternoon by the fireplace, or a fun-filled picnic with friends. So, let the

A Sweet and Satisfying Snack: Homemade Fruit and Nut Bars

Fruit And Nut Bars Recipe
Fruit and Nut Bars Recipe Demonstration - Joyofbaking.com 2

Baking can be an enjoyable and rewarding hobby for people of all ages. From decorating cakes to kneading bread dough, working with your hands to create tasty treats brings a unique sense of satisfaction. Fruit and nut bars are a classic bake that both novice and experienced bakers can quickly whip up. This simple yet delicious recipe yields a handy snack with a hefty dose of nutrients from dried fruits and nuts.

An Approachable Baking Project

Unlike more complex desserts like pies or decorated cookies, fruit and nut bars make for an approachable baking project even for beginners. The recipe in the accompanying video requires no special equipment beyond essential baking tools like a mixer, baking pan, parchment paper, and kitchen scale to weigh ingredients. It comes together in just a few easy steps:

  1. Mixing the dry ingredients
  2. Melting the butter and mixing in the wet ingredients
  3. Folding in the fruits and nuts
  4. Pouring the batter into a prepared baking pan
  5. Baking and cooling completely before cutting into bars

Every home baker can master this straightforward method. Kids may even enjoy helping by measuring ingredients or mixing the batter under adult supervision. With a total hands-on prep time of just 15 minutes, these fruit and nut bars practically make themselves.

Adaptable to Any Dietary Needs

Beyond the simplicity of preparation, another advantage of fruit and nut bars is their versatility. The basic recipe can be customized to suit a wide range of diets. Just replace the all-purpose flour with a one-to-one gluten-free blend to keep them gluten-free. Substitute coconut or olive oil for the butter to make them dairy-free. For vegan bars, use maple syrup instead of honey and non-dairy chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate.

You can also tailor the mix of fruits and nuts to cater to individual tastes and nutritional needs. Some tasty combinations include cranberries with pistachios, apricots with slivered almonds, dates with walnuts, raisins with pecans, or even chocolate chips with peanuts. Dried pineapple, mango, cherries, blueberries, and banana chips also make delicious additions. Use three cups of chopped dried fruits, adjusting the quantity of nuts and chocolate chips accordingly.

A Healthy Dose of Nutrients

In addition to their delicious flavours, fruits and nuts provide valuable vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and healthy fats. For example, raisins contain disease-fighting polyphenols, while walnuts boast anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. Pecans and almonds add protein, fibre, magnesium, and vitamin E. Dried apricots offer iron and antioxidants like beta carotene.

Compared to many classic bake sales items like cookies, brownies, and cupcakes, which tend to be heavy in processed sugar and white flour, fruit and nut bars make a far healthier choice. Their naturally sweet flavour and chewy texture satisfy the urge for a tasty treat without an energy crash later. Easy to tuck into a lunchbox, desk drawer, or backpack, these grab-and-go snacks provide long-lasting fuel for both kids and adults.

Customize with Creative Mix-ins

Once you master the primary fruit and nut bar recipe, the fun begins with testing creative mix-in combinations. Consider adding shredded coconut, mini chocolate chips, crushed pretzels, toffee bits, granola, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, dried cranberries, crystallized ginger, or even coffee grounds. Spices like cinnamon and nutmeg lend warmth, while a dash of cayenne pepper increases the flavour interest even more.

For a tropical twist, use dried mango, pineapple, and macadamia nuts with a splash of coconut extract. Layer banana chips and strawberry fruit leather with peanut butter chips to evoke classic peanut butter and jelly or Elvis’s beloved fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. Dried sour cherries and dark chocolate chunks make for a tart-and-sweet treat.

With so many possible permutations, you could enjoy a different flavour every day of the month and still not exhaust all the options. Keep a running list of favourite add-in combinations to revisit again and again any time the urge strikes for these easy-to-make fruit and nut bars.

Simple Storage for On-the-Go Enjoyment

Thanks to dried fruit’s condensed moisture and preservative qualities, these snack bars hold up well during storage. Allow them to cool after baking fully, then keep them in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature. Store the container in the refrigerator for up to a month for maximum freshness. The bars also freeze successfully for longer-term storage. Thaw in the fridge overnight before enjoying.

Their compact size makes fruit and nut bars convenient to pack in lunches or take along on road trips and hikes. Unlike softer baked goods, they won’t get squished in transit. These hearty bars stand up to being tossed in a bag to snack whenever hunger strikes. Wrap individually in parchment paper or plastic wrap to grab and go.

A Delectable Handmade Gift

Fruit and nut bars shine as homemade holiday gifts and care package additions. Their natural ingredients appeal to a broad audience compared to sugary confections—tailor batches to recipients’ taste preferences and dietary restrictions for a thoughtful, personalized touch.

Wrap bars individually in colourful cellophane bags tied with a festive ribbon. For Christmas, use red and green bags with jingle bell ties. Opt for pastel ribbons at Easter or in spring gift baskets. Arrange an assortment of flavours in a decorative box or tin to create a striking gift basket presentation.

Come birthday party time, fruit and nut bars make excellent goodie bag or dessert table additions that parents will approve of alongside the cake and ice cream. Kids with food allergies will appreciate having a sweet treat they can safely enjoy alongside their peers.

Satisfy Cravings with Wholesome Homemade Snacks

We all crave something sweet now and then, even the healthiest eaters among us. When the urge strikes for a mouthwatering baked good, reach for wholesome homemade fruit and nut bars rather than store-bought cookies laden with unhealthy fats and chemical additives. Enjoy the nostalgic, old-fashioned flavours of dried fruit and nuts blended into a tasty modern treat.

Let the accompanying video guide you through each simple step for baking success. Then, embark on your journey of kitchen experimentation, playing with fun flavour combinations until you discover your signature fruit and nut bar creation. Every batch promises a delicious snack that both kids and adults will adore.

Looking for more inspiration?

Scroll to Top